This invention relates to the field of hand tools designed for gripping, such as pliers.
In the past, gripping tools such as pliers typically had jaws formed integrally with the handles. As a consequence, the hardness and resistance to wear were a function of the bulk material from which the tool was made. Typically there diverging ideals for the material properties of the jaws and handles of such tools. Jaws often are desired to be hard and very wear resistant, while joints and handles are most often desired to have good tensile strength, wear and fracture resistance. Handles do not need to be particularly hard or wear resistant. If the jaws and the handles are made from the same bulk material, compromises in the desired material properties often must be made. Furthermore, special purpose pliers such as long nose, needle nose, and round nose pliers typically required substantial xe2x80x9croll grindingxe2x80x9d (usually performed manually) to achieve the desired finished shape for the jaws. The present invention overcomes shortcomings of the prior art by providing separate jaws for pliers that can be easily manufactured by more automated methods, and further provides an opportunity to tailor the metallurgical properties of the jaws independently of those of the handles.